On May 23, 2026 (Saturday), Kamakura Takezaiku (鎌倉竹細工, based in Kamakura, Kanagawa) installed a bamboo-and-light photo spot at Kamakura Daibutsu-den Kotoku-in in Kamakura, Kanagawa, as part of the 58th Charity Tea Ceremony organized by the Kamakura Junior Chamber Incorporated.
The event drew approximately 500 tea ceremony practitioners and 2,000 to 3,000 tourists. A photo booth celebrating locally sourced bamboo from nearby Kamakura forests made its debut — with visitors from Japan and overseas stopping to experience the dreamlike interplay of bamboo light and shadow.
Event Overview
Event Name: 58th Charity Tea Ceremony (第五十八回 慈善茶会)
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
Venue: Kamakura Daibutsu-den Kotoku-in (鎌倉市長谷4-2-28)
Attendance: Approximately 500 tea ceremony practitioners; approximately 2,000 to 3,000 tourists
Installation: Bamboo photo spot using locally sourced Kamakura bamboo (bamboo lamp shades + bamboo and washi hydrangea panels)
Organizer: Kamakura Junior Chamber Incorporated (公益社団法人鎌倉青年会議所)
Supported by: Kamakura City / Kamakura Chamber of Commerce and Industry / Kamakura Tourism Association
Cooperating Partners: Kamakura Daibutsu-den Kotoku-in / Urasenke Tankokai Kamakura Chapter / Kamakura Takezaiku
The Concept Behind the Photo Spot
Rather than simple decoration, the installation was designed to bring Kamakura's natural landscape into the space itself.
Drawing on the delicacy and flexibility of bamboo, the installation combined the material with light to create a space where visitors naturally paused to take photographs. Bamboo harvested from forests near Kamakura was hand-woven by the local community into lamp shades that emit a warm amber glow when lit, casting geometric shadows throughout the space.
At the center, a large wall installation paid tribute to the hydrangeas — Kamakura's iconic seasonal flower — just coming into bloom. Bamboo pinwheels woven with washi paper in hydrangea hues turn in the breeze, creating an immersive photo spot that drew both tea practitioners and international tourists to capture the moment.
Background: A Circular Ecosystem Connecting Bamboo Forests and Daily Life in Kamakura
Bamboo was once a familiar local resource in communities across Japan. Left untended due to disuse, its rapid growth has led to overgrowth in Kamakura's bamboo forests. Kamakura Takezaiku works to reimagine the relationship between bamboo and everyday life for today's context — practicing a circular model of making that begins in the bamboo forest itself. Specializing in custom, locally sourced craftsmanship from raw materials, the studio also creates spatial installations using bamboo.
The photo booth emerged from a beautiful cycle centered on Kamakura-grown bamboo:
- Nurture & Tend — Bamboo is sourced from carefully maintained forests near Kamakura, contributing to local natural environment conservation.
- Create & Weave — Through handcraft, the bamboo takes on new life. What grew in the forest becomes part of everyday living.
- Illuminate & Gather — Unveiled at the Charity Tea Ceremony, the installation offered a locally sourced spatial experience breathing life into Kamakura's heritage.
Set within the historic grounds of Kamakura Daibutsu-den Kotoku-in, the installation created a new point of connection between visitors and bamboo culture.
